Sustainability

This is the first of a multi-part series of EHS Journal articles that provide background and guidance on the final rules for Dodd-Frank Conflict Minerals (DFCM) published by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 22, 2012. This article describes the background of the rule and analyzes the proposed rule.

Companies manufacturing and selling appliances, equipment and lighting in Latin America face a growing demand from governments and consumers: reduce energy consumption. In a region of about 20 countries, where Spanish is the dominant language and regulatory systems are based on similar legal models, this demand wouldn’t seem to be a significant regulatory problem for[continue reading…]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published final rules for Dodd-Frank Conflict Minerals (DFCM) on August 22, 2012. “Conflict minerals” are tantalum tin tungsten gold These metals are used in electronics, jewelry, and many other products. The rules will be effective for 2013 for most affected companies. This SEC rule affects many functions: accounting,[continue reading…]

We’ve all heard references to transparency and the need for more openness in business conduct. This article explores two important and independent trend lines associated with business transparency: the cost of acquiring reliable data on business externalities; and the willingness of consumers to pay for this information. The cost of acquiring data continues to fall,[continue reading…]

Environmental risks pose a multi-dimensional threat to business that if ignored could consume an enterprise. The reputational risk alone of that “one-in-a-million chance” or “enterprise ending event” can no longer be ignored—ask BP. But beyond the negative ramifications of environmental risks is the often overlooked opportunity for business success that can result from sustainable business[continue reading…]

The number of corporate sustainability programs grew markedly in 2011 according to Sustainability Nears a Tipping Point, a report released recently by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan Management Review. According to the report, about 70 percent of the nearly 3,000 executives who were surveyed said that sustainability was on their management agenda in[continue reading…]

ExxonMobil’s view of the world’s energy future through the year 2040 was recently published in The Outlook for Energy. According to The Outlook for Energy, the future of energy use and development will vary by region, reflecting diverse economic and demographic trends as well as the evolution of technology and government policies. ExxonMobil predicts that[continue reading…]

According to the Third Annual Sustainability Global Executive Survey, more organizations than ever before are putting sustainability on their business agendas, and businesses recognize the need to do so in order to remain competitive. Many companies that successfully incorporate sustainability principles into their business report increased profits as an outcome. However, the survey also revealed that most companies are struggling to define sustainability in a way that is relevant to their business…

Stabilization of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels has become widely accepted as necessary in order to limit the long-term warming of global temperatures by 2 to 3°C and thus avoid devastating environmental consequences. Because the use of fossil fuels is expected to continue to increase in the future, new, innovative strategies need to be placed[continue reading…]

In this “as good as it gets” economic recovery, companies are intent on growing the top line while minimizing costs. Corporate staffs are shrinking or disappearing entirely, and the traditional EHS role faces internal competition from other groups that are taking on parts of the broader sustainability agenda. In this context, EHS VPs who keep their heads down and do their jobs well may be highly skilled, highly valuable, highly overworked—and highly likely to be headed to extinction. In contrast, entrepreneurial EHS leaders are keeping and expanding their roles by moving beyond their traditional comfort zones . . . .